All posts by weareshe1

I, Tanisha Poni had a vision a dream if you will, to see a group of girls in community that would be EMPOWERED by one another, instead of intimidated or having thoughts of comparison. They would feel equally HEROIC, as opposed to side kick quality or second best. And they would feel more like SISTERS, than scared or skeptical about their friendships with one another.
And just like that, S.H.E ( Sisters. Heroines. Empowered) was born.
I have never written a blog in my life nor have I had my own ministry (Good thing He is known for calling the unqualified QUALIFIED!) but, I could not shake this vision and dream so I chose to trust Papa (God) and know He has my back. :)
Thank you for stopping by, I hope you stay and get encouraged, have a laugh, get motivated, fired up to pursue a dream, or flat out smile along the way.
Loving you,
Tanisha Poni

For I am getting ready to lead (with my husband) a mission trip to Brazil!

I know crazy right? Yesterday as we were getting prayed for as a team -the 7 of us- , it hit me..the severity of the fact that we were actually going on this trip and how it’s so Papa’s design in the kingdom..

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15

The epiphany of being chosen for such a time as this threw me in awe.

I suddenly realized how small I was and yet The King of Kings handpicked me to go to Brazil and co-labor with Him to transform it. To love the hell out of Brazilians. OUR Brazilians. INSANE!

Then because of my great childlike mind, the famous words of Dr.Seuss rang loud:

“Oh the places you’ll go!”

“Kid, you’ll move mountains!”

The places you go aren’t just for your own benefit to discover the hidden beauty of the world, it’s for the people you’ll meet there and along the way.

How will they hear without a preacher? Beautiful are the feet that bring the good news. -Romans 10:14-15

The world is waiting for YOU.
To be discovered. To be on the radar. To be infiltrated and transformed.

You my darling, carry His presence. The very fragrance of a loving father lingers wherever you go. And don’t get me started on what happens when you open your mouth and begin to proclaim all the goodness of Him.

The faith you posses truly does move mountains.
Yes.. even yours.

A mustard seed is pretty tiny and that alone is powerful enough to move those mountains. (Matthew 17:20)

So.. where do you want to go?

What mountain is your faith destined to move?

While you’re thinking I’ll share a story: When I graduated high school, the dream of traveling faded because I thought about the money it would take to do so and at that time I wasn’t in a confident enough place to go overseas. Then altogether that dream of experiencing the unknown world drifted away.

UNTIL..

I encountered a different nature of Papa that I hadn’t before.
He delivered me from anxiety, He dusted me off and stood me up. Old wounds disappeared and I felt completely brand new.
Now, I knew The Lord before this encounter. I was about 5 years into my salvation, but I never knew Him like this. I didn’t know how furious and powerful His love is. I didn’t truly know Him as “The Father.” But, I felt it so strongly, and every lost dream I had suddenly arrowed back into my heart. Confidence rose up and I was on my journey of transformation; From old mindsets, unpleasant emotions and negative thoughts.

I traveled that year I had this incredible encounter for the first time overseas. My dream would’ve been fulfilled then but here years later, Papa is still choosing me to GO.

To fulfill the dream He has given me to travel but also the dream of His to see a nation transformed by His perfect love.

I desire to see believers come into this encounter of awe like I did. Of course, to reach those who don’t even know about salvation or about this great love we have in Papa. But when believers come into a brand new awareness of how awesome He truly is, it creates a bigger army to go into the world and release that goodness in greater measure.

I’ll ask again… WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

Every resource I have ever needed to travel He provided. I didn’t have to beg or scrounge around my couch for money. It came. And because it happened once, I knew it would happen again and again for as many times as I wanted to go. There was nothing holding me back from going.

The feeling of excitement you may be experiencing to get out there and get your feet dirty for Him is your cue.
It’s possible.

Whether it’s right there in your backyard, two states over, or a completely different far off country… what you carry is needed. The revelation you gain along your walk with Him isn’t just for you.. it’s for them. To be given away, so they can come into a revelation of a loving father.. and so you can have more capacity to receive more goodness!

Oh, the places you’re called to go..

Take the leap beauty I promise it’s worth it.

Papa, I pray the dreams we may have thrown away or allowed to be taken from us by whatever bad circumstance or fear would be restored to us right now. For faith to rise up that you are our provider, and protector. I pray you would stir those of us who have had a dream to travel up and that we would experience visions and encounters with you and where you want to take us. I pray that we would have boldnessto pursue it thereafter. I pray we wouldn’t be afraid to show the world how great you truly are. That we wouldn’t cower because of embarrassment or fear of rejection, but we would shout your name and praise! I pray you would be so overflowing within us that just by meeting us your sons and daughterswould see you. Help us to be a great sign from you, to a world that’s dying for one.. Thank you for being such a great father, without you we have nothing, we can do nothing.. but with you nothing is impossible. Awaken the dreamers Abba, fill their wings with refreshing hope and renewed strength..in Jesus name amen.

Loving you,
Tanisha Poni 💜

Ps. Since I will be out of the country focusing on my mission there I will probably be posting about the trip testimonies and stories the next two Monday’s so if you’d like to come with me then stay tuned ! 😊😘

It’s so funny how anything that has “like a girl” at the end of it is considered some kind of deficiency.

In elementary school it was like the number one comeback.

But, doing anything “like a girl” in this world full of ignorant perspectives is actually a compliment.

When I was younger – ok who am I kidding this still reigns true today- I was all about Disney princesses. I dreamed about what it would be like to be a princess in real life- little did I know I already was one- but, it wasn’t just because of all the fancier things or the love stories.. each one had a moment of courage, breakthrough strength, or stood for what they believed in.

They fought for their happy ending. And they fought like girls.

Ariel stood up for her opposing perspective on what she happened to be passionate about against her own father.

Jasmine put her foot down to laws that stripped a woman of her choice in falling in love.

Mulan became a warrior in an army she wasn’t accepted in, and saved the whole nation of China from being taken over.

Cinderella wouldn’t give up the fact that she deserved better and the simple ability to desire such things.

Belle refused to be conformed to the world around her, regardless if she was being spoken about or accepted.

Pocahontas had no fear towards the unknown when everyone around her did.
I could go on and on, but you get my point.

Happy endings didn’t just spring upon them right after a perfect and untouched life.Their victory was already in them in the midst of trial. Their very choice in defying the odds manifested that victory.

So what’s the difference between us and a Disney princess?

Animation.

We ARE princesses, and we FIGHT LIKE GIRLS.

Feels more like a compliment now don’t it?

It’s my desire to see women step into their ultimate level of confidence in just being a woman period. For living in a world where they get ridiculed and belittled by the surrounding naysayers and still walk tall because they know the truth. They know who they are. They know to whom they belong.

At the age of 12, I found myself to be the only girl in a boxing gym. I had a love for boxing because it brought my father and I together to have something to talk about when I was in my teens and I grew such a passion that at the sound of actually doing it made me leap. But it wasn’t easy.

I wasn’t treated any different just because I was a girl, I had to do the same workout the guys did:
Run 3 miles without stopping (or else you got an extra 100 push ups or sit-ups added to the 200 you already had to do of each)
3 Rounds of Jump-rope – 1 round consists of 3 minutes
2 rounds of shadow boxing
1 round per boxing bag (there were four)
200 sit ups
200 push ups and if you were asked, you’d do a few rounds of sparring. ( like a practice fight in the ring with another boxer)

Yea I know..only 12 doing this huge workout.

Some days I felt intimidated by the guys because they would say stuff to me.. you know like, “you fight like a girl” and my response would mostly be, “I am a girl.” -doy. But, in any case they felt they had the upper hand; their muscles were bigger or they punched harder. And sure, that may have been a fact but the truth was, I was strong. If not stronger because of my mindset. -I did have rough days though, sometimes I’d cry because I didn’t want to go to box. I felt alone in a world full of sweaty boys, and I mean that work out is pretty rigorous!-

One day in my age of 14 (I boxed for a total of three years), I was told that I would spar one of the guys that just so happened to have been a friend of mine.. well, before the sparring match. -yes a guy-

I was so nervous, but I got in there and danced around a bit, got in my corner and waited for the bell to go off. -Mind you, this guy had been mouthing off to our friends at school about sparring me and how he was going to knock me out.-

The first round we danced around a bit, and he started throwing out punches and I was doing my best to bob and weave. I got hit a couple times in the body and once in the face (I kept dropping my left hand.)
The timer went off to signal the round was over and I was shocked that he hit me like that. But then this craziness came over me.. I wasn’t going to be afraid of him, I was going to make him afraid of me.

The second round bell went off and I came out like a bullet. I didn’t give no time for dancing around, I started swinging. Probably took him by surprise because he kept backing up when he threw a punch. And all I kept thinking was ‘get him in the corner and light him up’ in moments that’s exactly where he ended up.

I brought out my combination punches, I went for the body first and then the head and I was connecting every single punch! The glorious moment though was my final punch, the uppercut. I prepped that punch with every bit of strength I had left and released; that uppercut hit his chin so perfectly and in adequate force he fell to his knees.

I shocked my own self. haha
I backed up and watched as he tried getting up but, he stood dazed for a bit, so our coach called it quits and that was it. The whole gym looked at me like they hadn’t ever seen me before. -oh you know the dumb remarks about being a girl was thrown out their vocabulary for sure.-

From that day on I was untouchable. I felt this new surge of confidence I hadn’t felt before and it was evident. I was proud to fight like a girl. To fight like me.

Flash forward to the now..

To be completely honest for awhile that epic and pivotal day was just a faint memory. I barely remembered that tenacity of fight within me. Until I was reminded the other day, when I felt like I couldn’t handle any more bad news. But, as I remembered the fight in me it was different this time.

It wasn’t by my own strength that I felt this revive within me it was by His.
And although I was so recharged to come out swinging, I felt like Papa was holding me back-like if I was a little sparky fighter saying, “let me at em!” and then I was provoked to seek this scripture out:

“You willNOT have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firmand see the deliverance the Lord will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17

Sometimes, fighting like a girl means protecting our peace and allowing Papa to keep us safe, and fight for us. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

If you have felt like its been a never-ending hamster ball of bad news, stress, being overwhelmed, dealing with fear, anxiety, or anything else negative.. it might be time to allow Papa to fight for you.

You’re not losing when you take time to protect your peace or rest in Him. It’s actually your greatest weapon-as I have mentioned before and will continue to cause it’s so good.-

The confidence I have in the truth that I can handle anything because He strengthens me, releases so much rest. I don’t have to prove the fight in me to anyone not even Papa. Neither do you.

Fight like a girl who knows who’s side she fights from.Fight like a girl who believes no matter what it looks like she already has victory.Fight like a girl who won’t surrender her peace to any negative lie.Fight like a girl..like you.💪 You can do this, because He said so.

Take pride in being a girl lovely. It’s a gift. (who wants to pee standing up anyway? 🙈)

Papa, I thank you for protecting us, for fighting for us. For being our savior. I pray that you would revive the confidence within us to fight like a girl. I pray we would walk in your peace and know that you are our strength. Help us to discern which fighting style we are in for our current season Papa. Thank you for loving us, and for being such a great father. I love you, In Jesus name amen.

Last week, something crazy came over me. . I was angry, but it was a Godly anger. Rightfully so , my beautiful mother started losing her hair due to chemo.

(Before you think this is a venting moment or a pity party 👉 halt. This is merely build up to the crazy.)

That was something I definitely didn’t want to happen, but it did.. I knew she was uncomfortable, and upset for having her hair taken away from her in this kind of way.

I refused to not do something, and in the beginning of all this I told her if she happened to lose her hair, I would shave the side of my head.

This is where the crazy comes in:

I told my husband about her losing her hair, and that I wanted to be a woman of my word and shave the side of my head.. He asked if I was sure and after my reply of yes, he said, “ok let’s do it right now then.”

In my adrenaline rush I was all for it, ready to stand with her even if it was just the side and not my entire head.. But, I didn’t know what I was in for..

We measured out the part I wanted to be shaved off, and then the clippers got plugged in. Before he took it straight to my head, he had to buzz off the length of my hair. As I seen my hair fall into the wastebasket it was as if I just seen something die.. My heart was gripped and I felt this rush of emotion.

I had to put worship music on for the rest of it because I felt without it I would be a mess. -You’re probably laughing or wondering why it’s just a haircut it grows back..etc. well I’m the type of girl who cries after a haircut.. Because I regret cutting my long hair. So SHAVING my hair off was huge to me-

The sound of the clippers became louder as they grazed my head, more hair dived off.. And tears began to flow. This was purely by choice of course, but for a moment I felt as if my womanhood was being compromised. Thoughts started to roll in:

What if I hate it?

What if my husband hates it?

Will I still be confident with my beauty?

Will my husband still be attracted to me?

And in the knick of time I hear these lyrics coming from the worship in the background , “In every season, in every change you are near, in every sorrow, you are my strength you are near, a peace in the storm your voice I will follow, in weakness I rise remembering you hold my world, I’m holding on to hope, I’m holding on to grace,I’m fully letting go, I’m surrendered to your ways, the anchor for my soul, Father you will never change, I love you..” (Anchor- bethel music)

Instantly the overwhelming “what if” questions and sad emotions were no where to be found. This surge of liberty came over me, along with insane joy.

I felt untouchable. My Father in Heaven was with me. In that instant moment I had a vision of Jesus laughing, and it hit me..

This is not where my identity rests. I’m not my hair length.

My womanhood isn’t validated by my “lovely locks” nor any other outward adornment. I am a woman because I was born that way. There is nothing that could disqualify me from being a woman nor could anything disqualify me from being beautiful.

A huge smile took over my face as I seen the word UNTAMED.

Untamed: not domesticated or otherwise controlled.

I felt untamed, no longer confined to the borderlines of what the world calls beautiful. I felt untamed to the facts that men prefer long hair and find it to be more attractive than short hair. I felt untamed to the thoughts that doubted all this. I became FREER in that 10minutes within the beauty regime than I ever had before. It’s crazy what Papa could do in such a short amount of time..

Now about you.. This is about you.

You are a WOMAN. Not because of your hair, curves or no curves, huge lips or thin lips, long lashes or short lashes, your shoe size, number of accessories you obtain, or a certain style of clothes.. You will remain a woman, a BEAUTIFUL woman without all of those.

Because women of this world have been tamed to a certain mold of what beauty is.

I mean long hair is even mentioned biblically as a need for a woman right?

1 Corinthians 11 talks about hair and head coverings but I want to highlight verses 14 and 15 “Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but if a woman has long hair it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.”

Now this seems like it’s completely against my whole blog, but I wanted to cut this open for those of you who feel like this is the opposing argument for this particular topic.

Whenever we read the bible we need to put into perspective a few things:

1. We must read the entire chapter not singled out verses because that would make lots of boo boos. The context of the verse is important.

2. What was the culture or customs of Corinth (or whichever place the book was written in) so we know backgrounds to this chapter or book.

3. What is the author trying to get across and how does it apply today?

So in doing these things I came to find Paul was drawing on a custom of the church in that day to illustrate that he wasn’t anyone’s covering or spiritual head. He was telling men and women of the Corinth church that they were under submission to Christ. As well as women being submissive to their husbands. He wasn’t establishing a dress code.

It makes sense as to why we could feel all these emotions about our appearance, especially our attachment to our hair.

But, like I mentioned earlier a woman’s identity doesn’t rest in such small things!

I don’t mean to disregard sensitivity to such a subject since I am in the arena of my mother and her process in this, but this is the truth.

Forget the molds. The airbrushed models. The huge butts and breasts that are plastered all over social media as some shrine of attractive femininity. The hair care product commercials with the overly shiny, long and perfectly intact hair. The makeup advertisements that push covering yourself up with your “perfect matched shade” or the glamorous long eye lashes.

Be UNTAMED. Go against the grain. 💪

I’m not saying beauty products are terrible, or to go bald, or curse your hairstylist. At all.

I believe we should be confident in who we are as a woman and whose we are. Naturally. If this season you’re naturally a blonde or brunette, 98lbs or 300lbs, you have long hair or you’re completely bald.. Find a way to be kind to you. Walk out confidence in faith if you have yet to gain it. When you are embracing the natural you and know without these said products how loved and awestriking YOU already are.. It makes it seem like it’s just another game of dress up and no longer cover up. 😉

You’re already flawless. You’re MORE THAN enough.

Don’t like your health? Change it. But don’t beat yourself up over it.

We all have seasons. We all have moments. It’s OK. You’re not alone.

Remember seasons change 😊

You’re already perfect to Him.. You don’t have to strive for it.

Although right now it may seem like Papa’s approval of you or how He sees you isn’t enough.. Continue to get closer to Him darling and soon it’ll be beyond enough.

Papa, I am so proud that we are women in your kingdom. The final bow on top of your gift of creation, thank you that our identity rests in you. That we can be untamed and liberated in such a world that worships what they label as perfection in a woman. We’re no longer a slave to this regime. We are fierce, captivating, and victorious daughters of God. May our minds be renewed in this area Papa, and the confidence spill out everywhere we go. Even in our morning trip to the bathroom as the mirror stands there to point out our bed head and morning face, let that confidence start there. ☺️ thank you for seeing us as flawless women, for calling us to higher perspectives and places with you. You truly are the anchor of our soul, I love you. In Jesus name, amen.

Loving you untamed gems,

Tanisha Poni 💜

Ps. Thank you to those who have mentioned they’re praying for my mother I appreciate your prayers! We will get through this season and she will be even more radiant than she already is. 😊💜

Ya know, it’s kinda funny how most of us can’t wait to rest and relax on the weekends from our jobs or just busy weeks..

And then when opportunities rise up -unexpectedly- that would cause us to rest, we get into fight mode and want to get out of that particular “resting spot.” (Such as being sick, fired or laid off from a job, etc.)

Our first reaction is usually to combat the issue.. Because I mean we are fierce warriors, just look at us. “woah-man” is how you say woman. 😉

We don’t want to stay sick, jobless, or whatever the case may be we have to be on the go, on the move, fill our schedules up with productivity and all that good stuff.

WHY?!

We don’t know how to BE STILL.

As women, somehow the fight to become relevant -that our fellow women in history partook in- rolled over into our present. There’s this stigma if you will, that if we stop moving as women we will regress. We will be looked upon as weak and every other negative adjective.

BUT! We are relevant.. And we will stay relevant. Because we were created to stand out.

Even if you are doing nothing productive, not filling up your schedule, not fighting against whatever battle it is that has come up… You are STILL relevant.. Especially to Papa. 😊

In the word it says:

“The Lord will fight for you, you need only to BESTILL.” Exodus 14:14

“BE STILL, and know that I am God..” Psalm 46:10

“BE STILL before the Lord and wait patiently for Him..” Psalm 37:7

Be still, be still, be still.

There’s times to fight yes, but then there’s times to rest in knowing He fights for you, that HE is God and He is good.

No more striving to hold on, have it all together, make sure each hour is taken up properly… Scratch the to-do list and put on there 👉 BE STILL.

Sometimes we get too carried away, with our daily routines and our overwhelming seasons that we forget we have Jesus..

It’s fairly easy to get caught up in a Martha mode with all the things that “have” to be done and by pass the Mary option which happened to be what captivated Jesus most. Jesus said Mary chose what is “BETTER” (Luke 10:38-42)

I know it may be hard to shift gears.. – I never did learn how to drive manually- but if you apply consistency it’ll get easier. ☺️

Be still princess, there’s more than enough time to be a warrior and seize the seasons ahead.. But remember, a warrior’s most effective weapon is her ability to be still, rest.

“Then I hear you say to me..

you, don’t have to do a thing,

just simply be with me and let those things go,

they can wait another minute,

wait

this moment is too sweet,

please stay here with me, and love on me a little longer..

Cause I’m in love with you.”

(A little longer-Jenn Johnson)

Papa, in moments of extreme business, chaos, struggle, battle or whichever please help us to be still. To desire to sit at your feet and pour out our love on you. To let go and be filled up with your refreshing reassurance in just how valuable, relevant, and worthy we are as your daughters. I pray we would cling to you more than our organized life, more than the feeling of doubt that things won’t work out, and more than the confidence in our next breath..for without you we could do nothing. Thank you for being our place of refuge, safety, and comfort in the tough crazy times. For loving us.. And for your son in whose name I pray, amen.

Have you ever noticed all the tiny tiny print at the bottom of coupons, advertisements, tv commercials or the announcer guy all of a sudden speaking 1,000 words a second right at the end of an announcement?

That’s fine print.

Fine print:inconspicuous details or conditions printed in an agreement or contract, especially ones that may prove unfavorable.

Inconspicuous and unfavorable. Now that doesn’t sound legit does it?

The product that’s being displayed or whatever have you may seem cool, but there’s a hidden agenda behind it, or it may not be just as simple as 👉 calling now and receiving the “free” car.

Fine print is insurance. It’s a “Hey you should’ve read the FULL description about how you need to spend $35,000 before you get this free car.. and since the fine print was there we are not liable for what we said to get you attracted to this deal in the first place. so hmph!”

Those darn gimmicks.

I was thinking-during this time of needing to listen to “eye of the tiger” on my mind radio at least three times before I even get out the house in the morning- I don’t want any fine print on my life.

I don’t want to stand here and declare things like ” I trust God” and ” I will praise The Lord at all times” if I have a fine print underneath those declarations like: “Only if God does what He has promised..” or “I will praise Him at all the COMFORTABLE times…”

I don’t want to be a gimmick.

I don’t want it.

But isn’t it so easy to slip into the cushion of our own fine prints when things don’t look so great?

Wave after wave. Trial after trial. It’s like we are on some marathon to see how many obstacles we can overcome in a matter of weeks. Some seasons are like that.. but in those seasons what are we holding onto?

Our declarations? or our fine prints?

In the bible it says, “Trust the Lord with ALL your heart, lean not on your OWN understanding..” Proverbs 3:5

If ALL our heart trusts Him, then that means none of our heart needs an escape route “just in case” this trust thing doesn’t work. Our FULL heart trusts HIM no questions asked. No matter what it looks like, no matter what happens to us.. full on TRUST because ALL of our heart does so. Leaning on HIS understanding and not our own.. that’s huge.

We all want to understand life. To understand why things happen: Why do good things happen to mean people and bad things happen to the best of us? why? why? why?

No more “why?” ‘s ! We don’t have to understandeverything or make everything that happens in our life make sense. Its all complicated hard work.. leaning on His understanding is much easier.

My point: YOU are a walking advertisement for Christ. A sign. A billboard. A picture. A movie. A book. A song. whichever..

We are living examples of what it looks like to have a relationship with Jesus.

I don’t want this to come off preachy and all but it’s the truth.

If I declared “I will praise The Lord at all times” and then when crisis hit (such as the past two months) I stop praising Him because things happened that were not supposed to or didn’t line up with His promises or something it becomes false advertising. To the people who are looking up to me or at me period and see and experience that Tanisha doesn’t really do as she says or believe what she writes.. etc. I would become a phony Poni. (ya see what I did there?😄)

But it doesn’t stop there.. I most of all want to be real with myself. For my own life. My own benefit.

It’s so important to be real in this world full of counterfeits and copies.

We get one life here on earth my fellow beauties, ONE. uno.

Let’s not allow fine print to hold us back from fully living and fully receiving Papa at His word and allowing Him to fully receive us at ours. Let’s get it right the first time, because it’s our last time too.

No fine print. We will live bona fide certified.

So what are you declaring? What are you shouting out to the world as your life message or your life core value? Don’t hold back sister.. no holds barred.

Bye bye fine print. Hello authenticity.

Papa, in this life problems come up. Trials arise, hardships are endured and during these times it is tough. It may be overwhelming, but then there’s you. I pray Abba that we would be women of our word, no insurance, no fine print, no cushion, just fully souled out to all you are and all you promised you will do. I pray our trust would go to a whole other level in the hard times. I pray we would not be shaken, or moved by the harsh waves that crash over us. I thank you for being the way, the truth and the life. For being our only hope. Without you I am convinced hard times would literally kill us, but thank God for God! haha You are it all Papa, thank you for loving us and for giving us an opportunity to fully trust you, to approach you with our every cry and that you hear them all. Help us to be more authentic, to live lives truthfully to our declarations, especiallly when they’re about our relationship with you. I love you Abba, in Jesus name Amen.

So I forgot to write my blog in the midst of all this sickness I’ve been battling. Wah! 😩 I apologize.. It is my goal to weekly post on Monday and I have failed.. To everyone who has been dedicated Monday readers, I have failed you too and for this I am sorry.

Let me explain:

I felt a tickle in my throat on Friday night -right after a S.H.E girls night out- and thought no this isn’t trying to happen to me.. Sorry sickness ya gotta go!

Saturday I woke up with a full on sore throat and a slight cough to which I also said the above eviction notice to… Only to find myself bed ridden by Sunday.

Now with this all going on you could imagine my face since this sickness didn’t listen to me the first two times… It wasn’t a cute wink sister.

Monday fever broke out along with some extra bathroom time as I sat and hugged the toilet three times outta the day. Gross but who doesn’t do that while getting sick?

Tuesday-Wednesday I remained the same except no more getting sick.. But the symptoms caused me to miss out on one of the fonder things in life.. Food.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday…. became the same ride.

Yesterday was the first day I began to feel a little better. I even put on makeup and something with an actual button for pants. But my energy was still low..

Why are you telling us your whole life Tanisha?!

Because I am a woman of faith and I know and fully believe in healing and what the word says, “By His wounds I am healed” And I have been dealing with this cold for 8 days.. Some could consider that evidence for healing being untrue.. Or even worse God not being God..

But, during all this I chose to keep my peace. (Isaiah 26:3)

Was I upset that I was sick longer than I felt I should be? Sure.

Was I tired from not being able to sleep or eat properly? You bet.

Still.. I wouldn’t let go of the promise He gave to be completely healed and to be able to keep my peace through it all.

Now, keeping my peace didn’t look like a smile on my face after I coughed for a minute straight.. It didn’t look like me sitting with my legs crossed,hands together and my eyes closed..

It looked like me not having my peace shaken. I protected it.. From thoughts of doubt.. And anything else that would try and steal it. I fueled my peace with truth-scripture- and sometimes songs that reassured me of that truth..

No matter what it looked like or how hard it felt to go through.. Protecting my peace was more important. I made sure I let my husband know if I felt weak at all in this so he could help me hold my hands up like Aaron and Hur did for Moses (Exodus 17:12)

Now, this is my true life story this isn’t some “super Christian” post this is my life. This is how I operate. I can’t choose anything else because everything else doesn’t work- trust me I’ve tried (before my relationship with God of course)

Every hardship I face I turn to Papa. I turn to His word.. And if I am weak in those times I turn to someone who I know will help me refocus.

In Psalm 34:19 it says, “A righteous man may have many troubles, BUT THE LORD delivers him from them all.”

may: might.

All: all.

I’m not in this walk because I heard it was easy..I’m in this because I can’t get enough of my God who has given me life.

I say all that to say this: in times of trial or hardship keep your peace.. Stir yourself up if you’re not “feeling it” and get around someone who will push you higher when you think you can’t make it.

That’s all for now, protect that peace sister. 😉

Papa, I thank you for your peace. The peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you that no matter what happens to us you deliver us from every trouble. It is your promise. You are a good good God and we couldn’t live without you. I pray we wouldn’t forget your benefits Papa and the great gift it is to be able to approach you with even the smallest bothersome things. You are our peace. Thank you, in Jesus name amen.

It may seem like those percentages aren’t bad at all considering the modern age we live in and the place technology has taken the entire world these days.

It’s great at keeping everyone in touch who may be far away..as well as being connected to the entire world wide web.

As women we have this thing about reading everyone’s story. Seeing their life displayed through pictures, status updates and 40 character spills. I’m certain guys do this too, but it’s not such an important thing to read every single persons post or read all the comments on someone’s picture to them.

Why do we do this? Why do we feel like our life decisions, accomplishments, transitions etc. are not validated unless it has received some social media love and more than a certain amount of double taps or thumbs up?

Is it a subtle and unknown film of competition?

Comparison?

Attention craving?

How many selfies have we posted up in hopes that it receives a decent amount of likes so we feel better about posting it and get a relief that people aren’t looking at us like we are self centered or something?

Everything screams three words, “look at me.”

Look at me. We wouldn’t post up anything if we didn’t want people to look or notice am I right? I mean you could take the 20 pictures of yourself and pick out your favorite ones, edit them to your liking and then just admire you’re own beauty correct? But there’s a desire to be seen. To be noticed.

To have everyone who follows you to read that you just made a life goal because those “congratulations!” “Good job!” Or “you’re amazing” remarks make us feel like a hero.

What were we doing to gain this much attention before social media existed?

When there were no cell phones with Internet.. No texting.. Nothing..

How did we connect?

Letters in the mail. Conversations in person or on the house phone. We actually looked one another in the eye when we spent time together.. Concretely showing our certificates, diplomas, or achievements. We had no idea about the urge to post every single thing that went on in our lives.

These days, walking around a mall, grocery store, park, restaurant, coffee shops, birthday parties everyone seems to be wearing the same thing.. A phone in their hand. Heads down. Coming up for the occasional fill in laugh or engagement in the conversation or participation in whatever the event is.

People relate by sharing funny videos, contemplating the color of a dress, and whatever else has managed to distract us from our daily lives.

You’re probably wondering why I’m being so blunt about such a topic, especially because my life too has been on social media but I’m just over seeing people distracted from life.

Walking around watching people neglect their loved ones or friends, potential new friends, all because of a rectangled screen. Giving unlimited access to an illusion of what we all truly crave..connection.

To give our family, friends, children, spouses, relationships all around the attention they deserve.

Mostly, to pay attention to our ownself. Outside of the media realm.. Be responsible in our daily duties, being healthy, having set out quiet times with Papa the one whom we were created to connect with in the first place..

Albert Einstein once said, ” I fear the day technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots. ”

How did he somehow know? I don’t like the idiot thing.. But in regards to choosing technology over precious quality time and depth in our relationships and life, it is idiocy.

Don’t get sucked in. The people around you are crying, “look at me..”

Look at you. Look at us. Look at the world outside those screens, break habits of boredom or fill in space and let it go.

I don’t have a scripture to validate my opinion and I don’t think it’s absolutely necessary.. This is a cause and effect post:

Relationships become obsolete when we are consumed with our phones.

Take pictures, create memories, of course.. Just don’t be so stuck on showing the entire world your one moment and lose out on the gems called minutes that wait behind them.

Obviously I’m passionate about this, if I offended any of you that was not my intention for I have done everything in this blog which gives me credibility and experience to write it. 😉

Have phones beauty, just don’t let em have you.

Papa, I am very thankful for technology. To be able to connect with friends and family across the yard and the world. I pray Papa that our relevancy wouldn’t be based on our status approvals, how many likes we get or the friends we have. I pray we would go back to our true place of relevancy which is being a daughter. Being the bow on top of all creation. I pray our relationships would not be neglected, that we wouldn’t miss what’s right in front of us. Help us to look up Abba. May we not forget to spend time with you in the midst of all that goes on around us within these digital realms. After all, you are the best attention giver. 😊 love you, in Jesus name amen.